Hendershot Murder Accomplice Found Guilty

A Bay County jury convicted James Tristan Gay on Tuesday of throwing the first punches into Jacob Hendershot’s face, just before the 16-year-old Partker teenager was killed.

Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford told jurors in his closing argument that Gay, 21, of 10620 White Road, Youngstown, attacked Hendershot during the night of July 13 or early morning July 14.“It was unprovoked, unwarranted, uncalled for,” Basford said. “He had done nothing to justify this attack.”

One of Gay’s female friends had accused Hendershot of raping her. So the night of the attack, Gay attacked Hendershot without warning and knocked him to the ground with a punch to the face, which broke a bone beneath Hendershot’s right eye.

While down, Gay punched him three or four more times. Gay then left the residence and two other men killed Hendershot and hid his body.

Gay faces up to 15 years in prison when Circuit Judge James Fensom sentences him May 24.

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